Ike Simas inspires nephew Gregg to prepare Santa Maria BBQ for Grumpy’s Sunday jazz party

According to Grumpy’s Sports Restaurant Owner Gregg Simas, all other barbecue pales in comparison to Santa Maria Barbecue.

Seeing as he’s related to 85-year old Ike Simas, recently called a “local grilling legend” by the Santa Maria Sun, perhaps he knows what he’s talking about!

So the question is, how come Gregg Simas hasn’t brought Santa Maria BBQ to Mammoth sooner.

“Because it’s a pain in the ass,” he said with a grin.

Gregg Simas said to do it properly, you’ve got to go to the Central Coast to get the wood (red oak) and the beans.

But it’s the 25th anniversary Mammoth Lakes Jazz Festival, so he’s pulling out all the stops.

The Santa Maria Barbecue will be served Sunday at Grumpy’s traditional closing jazz party, which features music by High Street. Tickets are $35 at the gate. Cocktails start @ 6 p.m. with dinner and dancing @ 6:30.

According to the Santa Maria Sun, Uncle Ike is a member of the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, and has been cooking barbecue for Lodge functions for the past 59 years.

The Elks claim to fame was preparing barbecue for President Ronald Reagan and friends at the Reagan Ranch in Santa Ynez.

As Gregg Simas said, “This is my heritage. Santa Maria Barbecue is the real deal.” As opposed to all the gymnastics they do down in Texas with smoking the meat and slathering it in sauce. “That’s meant to mask the flavor,” declared Simas. “We’ll serve top sirloin, slow-roasted.”

As Ike Simas told Sunset Magazine nearly twenty years ago, “This [Santa Maria] is the barbecue capital of the world. Those other places don’t know how to do it.”

(Photo: SantaMariaSun.com)